On Thursday, we gave you 18 NCAA Division I football players who played high school ball at local Boone County and Campbell County high schools. We promised you we would offer a similar list today full of players from northern Kentucky who performed for high school teams in Kenton County.
Here they are: 15 studs who broke out of the local prep realm to make an impact at the next level. Happy football Friday.
Beechwood
James Cusick — Navy
This is one smart, tough and disciplined individual whom local prep coaches raved about. On the playing field, where he is listed as a slot back at Navy, he is fast, athletic and versatile. He’s relentless and resourceful, the ultimate gamer who tries to outthink opponents, embarrass them, and then run away from them with the football. He wants to serve our country. What’s not to like about James Cusick? The Navy Midshipman is a 2025 Beechwood graduate and a former state champion in football and track and field as a sprinter. The one-time 1,000-yard Beechwood receiver attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School during the 2025–26 academic year. He is on the developmental track for the football team.
Cam Hergott – Eastern Kentucky
He’s the son of a former college running back and a one-time Kentucky Mr. Football as a record-setting dual-threat quarterback. Hergott plays wide receiver for the Colonels. The 2022 Beechwood graduate became a newcomer to the group after transitioning from QB at Eastern Kentucky. The 6-3, 208-pound talent remains a versatile threat. He had three catches for 29 yards in the season opener. He had one carry for 16 yards in the second game. Hergott had an EKU career-high seven catches for 64 yards last season in five contests. The fifth-year senior has played in 32 games in his college career. He has totaled 10 catches for 93 yards and 125 rushing yards on 28 carries. He is 3-for-9 passing for 10 yards. Hergott got into all 13 games in 2024 primarily as the holder on field goals and PATs.
Mattox Kelly — Illinois State
The 2025 Beechwood grad took a redshirt season his first year at Illinois State. He is listed as a 6-5, 265-pound defensive lineman. He plays on the edge as part of a 13-man lineman room. So, he has his work cut out for him as he makes his way up the depth chart. Kelly is a smart, physical and athletic player on defense, where he adds size, toughness, and developmental upside. He was a two-way, all-state-level player at Beechwood. He led the team in sacks and tackles for loss as a senior while playing tackle on offense.
Colson Lair — Dayton
Lair is a 2026 Beechwood graduate listed as a true freshman for the Flyers. He is one of four placekickers on the Dayton roster. He made it to the Flyers despite missing some games and splitting kicking duties in his final season at Beechwood. The former all-area kicker converted three field goals and 49 extra points in 10 games as a Beechwood senior. He’s yet to score at Dayton.
Covington Catholic
Cash Harney — Kentucky
The former Colonel quarterback is a wide receiver for the Wildcats. He is a true freshman after contributing mightily to the 2025 Covington Catholic football team’s success as a senior. He’s part of a deep, 15-player Kentucky fleet of receivers and has no college statistics. A two-way, all-area standout at CovCath, he combined for nearly 7,000 passing and rushing yards during his prep career. He also played safety. According to his bio, he’s the only CovCath QB to exceed 1,000 yards passing and rushing in the same season. He did it twice. His father played basketball at Western Kentucky and a sister played basketball at Bellarmine. Harney averaged nearly 16 points per game on the hardwood as a prep senior.
Ben Reeves — Kentucky
The smart junior outside linebacker transferred to Kentucky after two years at Georgetown College of the NAIA, so that is some leap for the former Colonel. He’s yet to post statistics for the Wildcats. The 6-2, 242-pounder played in 10 games last season at Georgetown. He totaled 30 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble. He redshirted in 2024. In his senior season at CovCath in 2023, he made 64 tackles with a team-high seven sacks. The Colonels advanced to the state championship game. He has been academically honored at every level.
Willie Rodriguez — Kentucky
A role model in every way, the junior has a team-high 12 catches for 97 yards with a score in two games for Kentucky. He recently reached 40 career receptions and 500 receiving yards. The 6-4, 249-pound tight end started seven of 12 games last season and totaled 23 catches for 310 yards and a touchdown. The 2024 Covington Catholic grad hauled in a career-high six passes for a career-best 78 yards at Vanderbilt. According to his bio, the six receptions were the most for a UK tight end since C.J. Conrad caught six at Mississippi State in 2015. ESPN ranked him the No. 24 tight end in the country coming out of CovCath, where he was a two-way force and also wrestled and played baseball. He comes from a family of athletes with a commitment to service as a caregiver and volunteer.
Trevor Wilson — Buffalo
The fifth-year tight end is receiving early action at Buffalo with four catches for 46 yards, including a long grab of 28. Wilson, a 6-2, 240-pound athlete, is at his third college. He began at Robert Morris and played three seasons there, compiling nine catches for 57 yards and a touchdown in 19 career games. He then transferred to Campbell last season and had 22 catches for 193 yards and a score. Wilson was a Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association first-team pick as a prep senior at Covington Catholic. He had five sacks as a CovCath senior in 2021.
Dixie Heights
Mason Fields — Louisville
The one-time Dixie Heights signal-caller is now with the Cardinals. He is one of five quarterbacks on the roster, which includes one other freshman QB, so competition is keen as he hits the developmental track. At 6-4, 215, he has good size. He was a revelation his senior season at Dixie where he improved steadily and then suddenly, throwing for 2,669 yards, nearly doubling his junior total, and 28 touchdowns, both school records, according to his bio. He also set the Dixie single-game passing records for touchdowns (7) and yards (408) in his final game in a first-round playoff against Collins.
Aumad Edwards — Marshall
Edwards, a 2022 Dixie Heights grad, is now a redshirt freshman defensive back at Marshall after beginning his college playing career at Kentucky, where he spent a single season. He earned the Dixie team MVP on defense as a senior. Edwards has taken an unconventional path to college football, enrolling first at Gateway Community Technical College from 2022-23 and then Bluegrass Community and Technical College in 2024. He transferred to UK in 2024 and walked on the football team in 2025. His cousin, Mike Edwards, a two-time Super Bowl winner in seven NFL seasons, is currently a free agent waiting for an NFL opportunity after being released by Kansas City.
Beni Mwamba — Memphis
The former Dixie Heights standout has appeared in three games this season for the Tigers as a junior safety with no statistics. He got into nine games last season, making two tackles. He was previously at Tennessee-Chattanooga where he came up with 17 total tackles, 14 solos, in seven games as a freshman with a pair of interceptions in two different contests. Prior to college, he was an All-Northern Kentucky selection as a senior with four interceptions and nine passes defended in his final season at Dixie Heights.
Brach Rice — Miami University
A former Dixie Heights two-way standout, Brach is now a redshirt sophomore defensive lineman for the Redhawks. He has appeared in both Miami games this season, totaling three tackles, one for loss with a quarterback hit. He played in 13 games last season, earning four starts and finishing with 16 tackles and a pair of sacks, two against UNLV. It was his most significant action after getting into seven games and making two tackles in 2024. He was first-team all-state as a Dixie Heights senior after making 181 tackles, 32.5 for loss, with 13 sacks.
Evan Wibberley — Louisville
Wibberly is a 6-5, 304-pound fifth-year senior center at his third college after playing previously at Kentucky last season and Western Kentucky in 2023-24. The former Dixie Heights first-team all-state standout has appeared in both games this year after getting into just four games with eight snaps at Kentucky. He started 14 games at center for Western Kentucky in 2024 and gave up no sacks. He made 11 starts in 2023 and was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team.
Simon Kenton
Josh Bowling — Morehead State
The redshirt junior linebacker has played in all three games this season for the Eagles. He has posted 12 tackles, tied for fourth on the team, with a team-leading 1.5 sacks and two pass deflections. He appeared in all 12 games last season, coming up with 33 tackles and one sack. Bowling made it into all 12 games in 2024, totaling 22 total tackles, a sack, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery. He was a tackle machine at Simon Kenton, totaling 211 his final two seasons with six sacks. He was named a 2022 first-team linebacker by the Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association as a senior.
Aba Selm — Kentucky
The 6-4, 327-pound offensive lineman is a redshirt sophomore at Kentucky after playing his final season at Simon Kenton in 2023. He has yet to see action this season due to injury. He appeared on the Southeastern Conference availability report throughout last season, seeing action vs. Eastern Michigan. Selm earned his first college action vs. Ohio and also received playing time against Murray State in 2024. He was a national top-20 interior lineman, according to some recruiting services, his final season at Simon Kenton. He garnered some first-team all-state selections as a two-way senior and was Class 6A District 6 Player of the Year. He’s thought to be the first option off the bench at left guard when healthy.
